Saint-Gaudens National Histoirc Site preserves the home, gardens, and studios of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The 2016 season opens on May 28 and continues through October 31. During the season, the park buildings are open daily from 9am to 4:30pm and the grounds until dusk. From November through late May, the exhibit buildings are closed, but the grounds remain open during daylight hours.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) created over 150 works of art, from exquisitely carved cameos to heroic-sized public monuments. Works such as the Standing Lincoln monument and the Shaw Memorial continue to inspire people today, and his design for the double eagle 1907 twenty-dollar gold coin is considered America’s most beautiful coin.

Over 100 pieces of sculpture by Saint-Gaudens are exhibited in the galleries and on the grounds of the park. His home, named Aspet, contains three rooms of original family furnishings. Changing exhibitions of contemporary art sponsored annually by the Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens Memorial are on display in the Picture Gallery. Visit the website for the dates of the artists on exhibit and opening receptions. Past exhibits have included paintings, sculpture, and photography.

On Sunday, June 26, 2016, a monumental bronze cast of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s sculpture Abraham Lincoln: Dedication of a full-size bronze cast of the 'Standing Lincoln" monument.The Man, also known as the Standing Lincoln, will find a permanent home at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. The placement of the 12-foot bronze cast on the grounds will be the culmination of the park’s golden anniversary celebration, and this piece will be the first new sculptural addition to the park’s landscape since the Shaw Memorial bronze was unveiled in 1997. Because it’s not every day that a new monument is placed on the park grounds, you can follow this project’s progress with updates on the park’s Facebook page, as well as on a project blog at www.sgnhs.wordpress.com.

Visiting Saint-Gaudens

Visitors may tour the grounds and galleries on their own. All artwork has interpretive labels, and exterior wayside exhibits are located throughout the park and on the nature trails. The house, Aspet, is the only building where entry is by guided tour only. 

 For touring the park, a free iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Android app is available. The app provides audio information and images of the historic buildings and major artworks of Saint-Gaudens at the park. For more details about this service, visit https://www.nps.gov/saga/planyourvisit/iphone-app-and-cell-phone-tours.htm.

To learn more about Saint-Gaudens, his artwork, his life, and the park, guided tours are offered daily. The park also offers showings of films to orient visitors, including An Introduction to the Life and Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens
 (18 minutes). Two other films are shown upon request, Wax Blood, Bronze Skin (25 minutes), explaining the “lost wax” bronze casting method using film of the 1994 casting of the Park’s monument to Admiral Farragut, and The Medal Maker (25 minutes) 
with a demonstration of the process of medallic art. 



Several nature trails wind through the park’s Blow-Me-Down natural area. 

 The Ravine Trail (1/4 mile) meanders along Blow-Me-Up Brook and by the swimming hole constructed by Saint-Gaudens. 

The Blow-Me-Down Trail (1 and 1/4 miles round trip) takes you down to the millpond and back along the edge of small ravines left by receding glacial lakes. 



Saint-Gaudens hosts the oldest artist residency program, begun in 1969, in the National Park Service. The sculptor-in-residence, a figurative sculptor working in the historic Ravine Studio, explains and demonstrates the techniques used by Saint-Gaudens to create the sculptures found in the park. During the season, the sculptor conducts a series of workshops, teaching the basics of figurative sculpture, mold making, and casting. Reservations for workshops must be made in advance by calling (603) 675-2175 ext.106. A fee is charged for the class.



The Saint-Gaudens Memorial Trustees sponsor the Summer Concert Series with additional support from donors and partners on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4pm during July and August. Concerts are held in the Little Studio and feature a variety of musical genres. Visitors are welcome to picnic on the lawn adjacent to the Little Studio. Concerts are included in the entrance fee for the park and take place rain or shine.

An entrance fee of $7.00 per person is charged for visitors age 16 and over. The receipt is valid for seven days and may be used for re-entry to the park. Children 15 and under are always free. 

America the Beautiful Passes are honored for entrance to the site. An annual park pass specifically for the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is available for $30.

Calendar

May 28 through October 31, 2016, 9am to 4:30pm daily: Open for self-guided tours of Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site with a variety of guided tours offered daily.

June 2 and 3: An Introduction to Sustainability and Historic Preservation: a two-day workshop at Blow-Me-Down Farm. For information, contact Judy L. Hayward at (802) 674-6752, Historic Windsor, Inc., The Preservation Education Institute.

Sunday, June 26, Special Event: Unveiling and dedication of a full-size bronze cast of the Standing Lincoln monument at a public event and celebration of the centennial of the National Park Service.

July and August: The Annual Summer Concert Series will be held from 2 to 4pm every Sunday afternoon from July 3 through August 28, rain or shine.



September 3, The Star Party: Solar telescopes on the grounds for viewing from 2 to 4pm. Talk and presentation at 8pm about the history of astronomy in the Upper Connecticut River Valley with star gazing following the talk (weather permitting).

Saturday, September 24, 2016, 11am to 4:30pm: Sculptural Visions is celebrated on National Public Lands Day. Two sculptures will be cast in bronze during demonstrations. Throughout the afternoon, there will be hands-on sculpture activities for all ages working with clay, metal, and foil.